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ICC cricket committee recommends legitimising switch-hit

Also the committee recommended that Test nations be asked to play a minimum number of Tests over fours year to maintain their Test status.

New Delhi: The International Cricket Committee (ICC) on Wednesday took a couple of key decisions while concluding the two-day meeting of its cricket committee in London, including setting a marker for Test playing nations to keep their Test status intact.

In an attempt to ensure that Test cricket was protected, the committee has recommended that all Test playing Members should be required to play a minimum number of Test matches over a four-year period in order to maintain their Test status. The committee was in particular concerned about Tests being postponed to make room for other formats of the game, prompting them to make the recommendation.

The cricket committee also agreed with MCC's recommendation that the switch-hit be considered a legitimate part of the game. ICC received a report from the MCC on the switch hit/reserve sweep that included feedback from current and former players as well as international umpires and accepted that the shot was exciting and required a lot of skill.

ICC Chief Executive David Richardson said the recommendations will be forwarded to the ICC Chief Executives' Committee and the ICC Board. "I'm thankful to the committee members for their valuable contribution and input. The discussions over the last couple of days have been of the highest standards and a lot of positive ideas and proposals have come out of these discussions.

"The committee's recommendation will now be taken forward to the ICC Chief Executives' Committee and the ICC Board as required and then we will seek to roll out the agreed decisions from October 2013," he said.

In addition to the above, the committee noted and discussed papers relating to over-rates, progress made with the development of new DRS technology, women's cricket, umpire performances, pink ball trials, illegal bowling actions and helmet safety research.